However, .357 Remington Maximum was given a death sentence by SAAMI the day it was born due to the forcing cone type chamber design they gave it. Accuracy in fixed barrelled guns is absolutely superb, BUT not from the ill-conceived forcing cone chambers the industry is forced to adopt in order to march lock step with SAAMI, insurance companies, and our sue happy American legal system

If you want a really good 357 max barrel for either the Contender or the Encore for about the same price of a factory T/C barrel but MUCH better quality take a look at Match Grade Machines. Do a search you will find them. It will take from 6 to 8 weeks to get the barrel made and to you but it is worth it. I got a 30-30 Ackley Improved 14" SS Shilen barrel from them for this past Christmas. It is a shooter. As has been said you need not worry about the cylinder/throat erosion problem with the revolvers in a Contender or Encore. You also get much more velocity out of the closed breach of these than you will out of a cylinder gaped revolver.